Addressing machine



Get as, 1924. 1 1,513,131

c. D. PALMER ADDRESS ING MACHINE Filed Oct. 8. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 [/7Vf/Y 7'05 007/0 Q Pa/mer Oct. 28 1924.

c. D. PALMER ADDRESS me' mpnms Filed 001.. 8. 1921" 1 gi n, 1 :5 57, i

IIIIIIIIILQEJI '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 atented ct. 28, 1924.

CLINTON D. PALMER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

ssienon T snans, RoEBUcK AND 00;, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION onnew YORK.

ADDRESSING MACHINE.

Application filed October 8, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLINTON D. PALMER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of'Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Addressing Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification;

In Patent No. 1,136,972, granted April 27, 1915, to Sears, Roebuck and(30., upon an application filed by me, there is disclosed a combinedstencil plate and record card adapted to contain a record relative todates and nature of transactions with a customer.

Heretofore, when an order was received from a customer, the clerk incharge of the file of combined stencil plates and record cards, made arecord of the order upon the customers card, after which the order wastransmitted to a typist who typed the customers name and address uponthe various pieces of paper necessary in taking care of the order, as,for example, an envelope, an

invoice, shipping labels, an express receipt, etc.

The object of the present invention is to provide means whereby thecombined stencil plate and record card may be readily used in addressingthe necessary envelope, bill,

shipping labels, and the like, thus dispensing with the necessity ofaddressing such papers upon a typewriter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a right-hand elevation of anaddressmg machine embodying the features of my invention. Fig. 2 is aleft-hand elevationof the machine. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional Viewof a stencil holder comprised in the machine. Fig. 4 is a frontelevation of the machine. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view illustrating thestencil holder and the paper guides in plan View. Fig. 6 is a transversesectional view of the machine, showing the parts in the position assumedwhen printing is being effected.

The embodiment herein shown of the in vention comprises a rectangularbase 1 having at its rear portion upwardly extending lugs 2 whichprovide bearings for the trun- Rotatably mounted in the lower portion ofnions 3 of a housing 4. Said housing com-' Serial No. 506,246.

the housing 4 forwardly of the axis 3 is an impression roller 10 ofresilient material, as, for example, the composition commonly used inthe manufacture of printers rollers. Above the impression roller 10 is adistributing roller 11 of yieldable or other suitable 1;:

material, the roller 11 being secured upon a shaft 12 which is rotatablymounted in bearing blocks 13 (Fig. 6). The bearing blocks 13 areslidably mounted in slots 14 in the side walls of the housing 4.Adjusting screws 15 carried by the housing 4 bear against the blocks 12and thus keep the inking roller 11 pressed against the roller 10.

Above the inking roller 11 is a feed roller 16 the journals of which areslidably mounted in open end slots 17 in the side walls of the housing4. While the feed roller 16 may be of any suitable construction, theconstruction shown in Patent No. 1,036,201, dated August 20, 1912, hasbeen found satisfactory.

The roller 16 is provided with finger wheels 18 and 19 for operating thesame.

The shaft 12 is provided at one end with a hand crank 20 by means ofwhich all of the rollers may be rotated, whenever the m1,

cated endwise in order to distribute the ink uniformly over the roller10. V

A, stencil holder 24 is pivotally connected to the lugs 2 at 25 andextends forwardly beneath the housing 4. The stencil holder is in thenature of a metallic pocket having a flaring entrance 26 and a flange 27(Fig. 3) constituting a stop for the inner edge of the stencil card tolimit the extent to which the card may be inserted into the pocket. Thepocket 24 is of suitable width to receive and guide a stencil card intoproper relation to the impression roller 10 and the article to beaddressed. The pocket is provided withan; opening 28 (Figs. 4 and 5)which is longerthan the impressionroller 10 and of suitable width topermit said roller to press the stencil card into contact with a platensurface 29 raised slightly: above 7 the plane of the base 1 (see Fig.6). On the base. 1 are two stop rails 30 and 31 (Fig. 5) arranged atright angles to each other and constituting stops adapted to locate anengummed label, or the like,

the addressing operavelope, invoice, in proper position for tion.

It is sometimes desirable to print only the address, the addressees namebeing afterwards added by other means. I therefore provide a plate 32(Figs. 3 and 5) attached to a wire frame 33 which is slidably mounted inguides 34 on the stencil holder,the frame being slidable to carry theplate 32 into and out of position to overlie that portion of the stencilcard which contains the customers name, The frame 33 comprises anangular handle 35 by means of which the frame may be slid into and outof operative position. In order to hold the frame in adjusted position,there is provided a detent spring 36 having recesses 37 and 38 toreceive a portion ofthe handle 35, said recesses corresponding to theoperative and inoperative positions of the plate 32.

Means is provided for tilting the housing 4 to press the stencil cardand the roller 10 against an envelope or the like previously tate theinsertion of the operators the platen 29. The means herein shown forthis purpose comprises a handle or crank 39 pivoted toa lug 40 risingfrom the base 1, said handle being connected by means of a link 41 to acrank arm 42 fixed to one of the trunnions '3. A coiled contractilespring 43 anchored atone end to the base 1 and connected at its otherend to one of the adjusting screws 15 serves to return the housing 4 tonormal position, such position being determined by contact of thehousing with a resilient stop 44 on the base. The upward swing of thehousing 4 is utilized to raise the stencil holder to facilipositioned onin withdrawing the envelope or other article which has been addressed.Herein is shown a link 45 pivoted at 46 to the housing 4 and extendingslidably through an opening 47 (Fig. 5) in the forward portion of thestencil holder, the link 45 being bent after passing through saidopening. The link 45 is of such length that in the forward swing of thehandle 39 the stencil holder comes into contact with the platen (or,rather, the article to be printed) before has completed its forwardswing, thehousing 4 continuing tomove forward and downward to place theimpression roller 10 in contact with the stencil card and to press thecard tightly against the article to be addressed. The point ofattachment of the link 41 to the handle 39 is such that as the handlecompletes points of pivotal connection of the link 41 are in substantialalinement with the axis of the handle 39, whereby relatively greatpressure is applied to thestencil during the forward stroke of thehandle. .7 i

Preferably means is provided for autofingers its forward stroke the dur-The shown for this purpose comprises an arm 48 (Fig. 1) pivoted upon theshaft 12 and carrying a spring-pressed awl 49 that engages a ratchetwheel 50 11X6d upon said shaft. The arm 48 is connected to the handle 39through the medium of a link 51, the handle and link having a pin- 'onto allow for 10st motion matically turning the inking roller 11 ing theopera ion of the machine.

means herein portion of the card and thus stencil the customers name andaddress upon the envelope. The handle is then returned to its normalposition and the envelope withdrawn. In similar manner an invoice,shipping labels or any other articles that should be addressed for usein connection with the order in question, are successively addressed.

The present invention facilitates the use of the combined stencil andrecord card shown in my said patent in the addressing of envelopes,bills, shipping tags, advertising matter and the like, thus extendingthe use of the combined stencil and record card to the addressing of thepapers needed in filling an order, and obviating the necessity ofaddressing such papers on a typewriter.

While the present embodiment of the invention has been described withconsiderable particularity, it is to be understood that the descriptionhas been given for the sake of impartinga clear understanding of thepresentconstruction and not for the purpose of defining the invention,the scope of the invention being indicated in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: 7

1. An addressing machine having, in combination, a base carrying aplaten; a housing pivoted to the base; an impression roller, adistributing roller, and an inking roller in the housing; a stencilholder pivoted on the base above the platen; a handle pivoted to thebase; a crank arm connected to the housing; a link connecting the handleto the crank .arm whereby in the forward swing of the handle the housingis tilted to press the impression roller against an article lying on theplaten; a pawl and ratchet. for rotatingthe. distribut ing roller; alink connected to the handle for operating said pawl; a cam connectedthe housing engaging said cam; a hand to the distributing roller; a,projection on;

crank connected to the distributing roller; and a link connecting thehousing and the stencil holder and providing for downward movement ofthe housing after the stencil holder is in contact with an article onthe platen.

2. An addressing machine having in combination, a. base carrying aplaten; a housing pivoted to the base; an impression roller, adistributing roller, and an inking roller in the housing; a stencilholder pivoted on the base above the platen; a handle pivoted to thebase; a crank arm connected to the housing; a link connecting the handleto the crank arm whereby in the forward swing of the handle the housingis tilted to press the impression roller against an article. lying onthe platen; means for rotating the distributing roller in the swing ofthe handle; means for longitudinally moving the distributing roller inthe rotation thereof; a hand crank connected to the distributing roller;and a link connecting the housing and the stencil holder and providingfor downward movement of the housing after the stencil holder is incontact with an article on the platen.

3. An addressing machine having, in combination, a base carrying aplaten; a. housing pivoted to the base; an impression roller, adistributing roller, and an inking roller in the housing; a stencilholder pivoted on the base above the platen; a handle pivoted to thebase; a connection between the housing and the handle whereby in theforward swing of the handle the housing is tilted to press theimpression roller against an article lying on the platen; means forrotating the distributing roller; and a link connecting the housing andthe stencil holder and providing for downward movement of the housingafter the stencil holder is in contact with an article on the platen.

4. An addressing machine having, in combination, a base carrying aplaten; a housing pivoted to the base; an impression element and aninking element in the housing; a stencil holder pivoted on the baseabove the platen; a handle pivoted to the base; a connection between thehousing and the handle whereby in the forward swing of the handle thehousing is tilted to press the impression roller against an articlelying on the platen; and a link connecting the housing and the stencilholder and providing for downward movement of the housing after thestencil holder is in contact with an article on the platen. v

5. An addressing machine having, in combination, a platen, a movablymounted housing, an impression element carried by the housing, a stencilholder between the platen and the impression element, and a lost motionconnection between the housing and the stencil holder for moving thelatter with the housing during a portion of its motion.

6. An addressing machine comprising, in combination, a fixed platen, animpression roller mounted for movement toward and away from the platen,and a separately mounted stencil holder movable toward and away from theplaten, the movement of said holder being controlled by the movement ofthe roller with respect to the platen.

7. A stencil holder for addressing machines, comprising a pocket havinga flaring entrance for the stencil, the stencil holder having an openingtherethrough arranged to be spanned by the stencil, and means on thestencil holder for covering a portion of said opening.

8. A stencil holder for addressing machines comprising a pivoted pockethaving a flaring entrance for the stencil, the stencil holder having anopening therethrough arranged to be spanned by the stencil.

9. The combination of a stencil holder comprising a pocket having aflaring entrance for the stencil, the stencil-holder having an openingtherethrough arranged to be spanned by the stencil, and means forcovering a portion of said opening.

10. In an addressing machine, a pivoted stencil holder in the nature ofa pocket into which a stencil may be inserted edgewise, said pockethaving an opening to expose a portion of the stencil.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

CLINTON D. PALMER.

